Initial construction 1891 (≈ 1891)
Hotel and coffee built by Paul Broussy.
1928-1930
Art Deco renovation
Art Deco renovation 1928-1930 (≈ 1929)
Works directed by André Boyer, sets signed by Lacout and Bompard.
1970
Upgrading and modernization
Upgrading and modernization 1970 (≈ 1970)
Two floors added to the hotel.
2007-2008
Restoration and reopening
Restoration and reopening 2007-2008 (≈ 2008)
Purchased by Ruban Bleu, inauguration in Mercure hotel.
16 octobre 2014
Registration Historic Monuments
Registration Historic Monuments 16 octobre 2014 (≈ 2014)
Protection of facades, mosaics and interior decorations.
26 février 2015
Correction of the order
Correction of the order 26 février 2015 (≈ 2015)
Addition of the terrace and marquise to the protected elements.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The facades and roofs of the Grand Hotel and the Grand Café; the coffee rooms with the mosaics of the Grand Café and the entrance hall with mosaics, the dining room, the living room called Bompard with its marouflage canvases and the ironware furniture linked to the elevations as well as the hotel's stairwell with its ironwork ramp of the Grand Hotel (cad. A 281, 282, cf. plan annexed to the decree): registration by order of 16 October 2014. The decree of 26/02/2015 states that the decree of 16 October 2014 contains a material error: article 1: The historical monuments include the facades and roofs of the Grand Hotel Le Broussy and Grand Café Riche as well as the terrace with mosaics, marquise and gardening, located 1 av. Victor-Hugo and 1 rue de l'Abbé-Bessou in Rodez. For the Grand Hotel Le Broussy, the entrance hall with mosaics, the dining room, the living room called Bompard with its marbled canvases and the ironwork decoration linked to the elevations as well as the stairwell with its ironwork ramp. For the Grand Café Riche are also registered the coffee rooms with their mosaics. This building is located on the following parcels: plot 281 with a capacity of 390 m2 shown in the cadastre section AE (...) ; Parcel 282 of a capacity of 268 m2 appearing in the cadastre section AE lot 2 belonging to the departmental association of pupils of public education of Aveyron, lot 4, 5, 7, 9, (...) 6, 8 (...). The Order of 16 October 2014 is repealed. The 2014 Order did not take into account the registration of the terrace as requested and validated by the Regional Heritage and Sites Commission of 17 June 2014.
Key figures
André Boyer - Architect
Directs the renovation of 1928-1930, friend of Paul Broussy.
Louis Lacout - Iron and steel
Realizes ramps, furniture and decorative elements in wrought iron.
Maurice Bompard - Orientalist painter
Decorate the hotel lounge and dining room.
Paul Broussy - Owner-commander
Initiator of 1928-1930 works with André Boyer.
Louis Vigouroux - Cabinetist
Manufactures coffee furniture in the 1930s.
Marius et Georges Bellaclat - Mosaics (enterprise)
Realize the facade and interior mosaics.
Origin and history
The Grand Hotel Le Broussy and Grand Café Riche, located in Rodez, form an iconic architectural complex built in 1891. The building occupies an entire island between Victor-Hugo Avenue, Abbé-Bessou Street and Croizat Street. Its façade, rhythmic with cut-paned openings and guardrails decorated with Art Deco motifs, is surmounted by a marquise with a terrace decorated with mosaics and concrete gardeners. Inside, the café and hotel preserve characteristic elements of the 1930s: mosaic floors, art ironing, velvet furniture, and white glass ceiling ceilings, reflecting the influence of the Ruthenian, sober and geometric art deco.
In 1928-1930, architect André Boyer, friend of the owner Paul Broussy, carried out major renovations, including the creation of the terrace, the resumption of the facade, and the transformation of the interior spaces. The mosaics are made by Bellaclat, while the ironworks, signed Louis Lacout, adorn stairs, ramps and furniture. Orientalist painter Maurice Bompard decorates the lounge of the hotel of marouflé canvases and contributes to the paintings of the dining room. The coffee furniture, made by local cabinetmaker Louis Vigouroux, completes this coherent set, combining functionality and aesthetics.
The Grand Café Riche, with its large room divided by benches and velvet armchairs, was originally extended by a living room communicating with the hotel's dining room. Details such as wrought iron candelabras, coat racks, or volute-shaped raditors illustrate the care taken in the second work. The dining room, unlike the Art Deco lounge, retained its eclectic décor from the late 19th century. In 1970, the hotel was raised by two floors and then modernized, before being bought in 2007 by the Ruban Bleu group, which restored the heritage elements while adapting to contemporary standards.
The facades, roofs, mosaics, and interior elements (hall, Bompard lounge, stairwell) have been listed in the Historical Monuments since 2014, after correction of an initial stop omitting the terrace. The building, divided in the 1980s, saw its superior rooms transferred to an association, while the hotel part became a Mercury in 2008. Despite changes such as the suppression of the old bar or wall appliques, the whole remains a major testimony of architecture and craftsmanship of the 1930s.
Local artisans played a central role in the creation of the sets. Louis Lacout, ironmaker, signs the staircase ramps and furniture elements, while the Bellaclat brothers intervene on mosaics. Maurice Bompard, an orientalist painter, brings an artistic touch with his works in the living room and dining room. These collaborations highlight the regional anchoring of the project, combining traditional know-how and modernity. The hotel and the café, places of bourgeois sociability, also reflect the evolution of lifestyles at the beginning of the twentieth century, between modern comfort and historical heritage.
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